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Do any of you remember Kolb's Restaurant on St Charles?
Posted on 10/3/20 at 12:18 am
Posted on 10/3/20 at 12:18 am
Saw this pic today and it made me think of the restaurant
I went there only once, back in the early 1980's. I don't remember the food being anything special, but it was a grand old place. I remember being sad when it closed in 1994, even though I was living in Los Angeles by then.
Here's an article I found on nola.com. It's from 2017
Kolbs, A Lost New Orleans Restaurant
I went there only once, back in the early 1980's. I don't remember the food being anything special, but it was a grand old place. I remember being sad when it closed in 1994, even though I was living in Los Angeles by then.
Here's an article I found on nola.com. It's from 2017
quote:
Many remember the restaurant, on St. Charles Avenue off Canal Street, as much for the decor as the menu. Ceramic beer steins lined the walls. Portrait of the "old country" were on display. And Ludwig, a little figure in lederhosen, worked a crank that ran the pulley-driven system of ceiling fans.
Over time, Kolb's bowed to local taste, adding dishes like turtle soup, shrimp Creole or pompano en papillote. After surviving two World Wars, and the anti-German sentiment each engendered, and numerous owners, Kolb's went bankrupt and closed in 1994. The building remains vacant. The Kolb's sign still hangs outside.
Kolbs, A Lost New Orleans Restaurant
6
Posted on 10/3/20 at 1:13 am to L.A.
I love that pic!!! I don’t remember kolb’s - it closed when I was a teenager - I’d have to ask my mom if she ever went
We used to go to Serio’s pretty much which was next door - not sure if it reopened after Katrina though - bc I never went back either
We used to go to Serio’s pretty much which was next door - not sure if it reopened after Katrina though - bc I never went back either
Posted on 10/3/20 at 6:30 am to L.A.
Friend,
Kolb’s was the first selection in TulaneLSU’s Top 10 signs of St. Charles Ave., lakeside.
Here’s a little snippet:
1. Kolb’s
Unquestionably, with the Lamplighter, Crystal Hot Sauce, and Williams Blvd Baptist Church signs, the Kolb’s sign is one of the Top 10 signs in all of the New Orleans Metro. Opened in 1899, the restaurant was always proud of its beautiful leather belt fan system, which it incorrectly boasted was the only existing artifact from the 1884 Cotton Centennial.
If there were such a cuisine as Creole German, Kolb’s personified it. Mixing New Orleans seafood recipes with German staples, this was a favorite of many families, especially during the month of October. I always got the Kolb's Schnitzel, which was a thin fried piece of veal topped with lump crab. I also got the same dessert every time: Eva’s Kiss Cake. Two slices of German chocolate cake slathered in chocolate sauce hugged a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious! Uncle always got the German Platter. I tried the sauerkraut once. Yuck!
I do not know exactly why Kolb’s could not make it. Every time we went in October, it was packed. And perhaps that is why -- the only time my family and people I know who talk about the restaurant went was October. The rest of the year it was left to a few tourists, most of whom found better food in the French Quarter. Not only that it was one of the more expensive restaurants in New Orleans. When it shut its doors in 1994, the Kolb’s Schnitzel was $15, which rivaled the cost of most white tablecloth restaurants.
It was in Kolb’s that I was introduced to the Chicken Dance song, officially known as the Birdie Song, which was written in Switzerland in the 1950s. How many endless hours of fun that song has brought me, perhaps you too, throughout the years. The moves I learned doing the Chicken Dance at Kolb’s inspired my middle school sock hop dance at the JCC, which ultimately brandished me with the nickname that shall not be written. Uncle was able to purchase a few restaurant items from the Kolb’s auction in 1994, one of which he gave to me.
Friends, remember every time you walk, drive or ride on St. Charles Avenue, you have shared that space with me and many others. Open your eyes to the wonders around you, wherever you are. The beauty of this world is unending. Thank you for reading.
Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
Kolb’s was the first selection in TulaneLSU’s Top 10 signs of St. Charles Ave., lakeside.
Here’s a little snippet:
1. Kolb’s
Unquestionably, with the Lamplighter, Crystal Hot Sauce, and Williams Blvd Baptist Church signs, the Kolb’s sign is one of the Top 10 signs in all of the New Orleans Metro. Opened in 1899, the restaurant was always proud of its beautiful leather belt fan system, which it incorrectly boasted was the only existing artifact from the 1884 Cotton Centennial.
If there were such a cuisine as Creole German, Kolb’s personified it. Mixing New Orleans seafood recipes with German staples, this was a favorite of many families, especially during the month of October. I always got the Kolb's Schnitzel, which was a thin fried piece of veal topped with lump crab. I also got the same dessert every time: Eva’s Kiss Cake. Two slices of German chocolate cake slathered in chocolate sauce hugged a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious! Uncle always got the German Platter. I tried the sauerkraut once. Yuck!
I do not know exactly why Kolb’s could not make it. Every time we went in October, it was packed. And perhaps that is why -- the only time my family and people I know who talk about the restaurant went was October. The rest of the year it was left to a few tourists, most of whom found better food in the French Quarter. Not only that it was one of the more expensive restaurants in New Orleans. When it shut its doors in 1994, the Kolb’s Schnitzel was $15, which rivaled the cost of most white tablecloth restaurants.
It was in Kolb’s that I was introduced to the Chicken Dance song, officially known as the Birdie Song, which was written in Switzerland in the 1950s. How many endless hours of fun that song has brought me, perhaps you too, throughout the years. The moves I learned doing the Chicken Dance at Kolb’s inspired my middle school sock hop dance at the JCC, which ultimately brandished me with the nickname that shall not be written. Uncle was able to purchase a few restaurant items from the Kolb’s auction in 1994, one of which he gave to me.
Friends, remember every time you walk, drive or ride on St. Charles Avenue, you have shared that space with me and many others. Open your eyes to the wonders around you, wherever you are. The beauty of this world is unending. Thank you for reading.
Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
Posted on 10/3/20 at 8:00 am to L.A.
Yes
Posted on 10/3/20 at 8:54 am to L.A.
I remember dining there with my parents in either the late 60's or early 70's. It was very popular for years. My wife's grandfather told me it was one of the first places he would visit on his annual trips into NOLA.
Some of those old ceiling fans with the pulleys and belts are either in Dickie Brennan's Bourbon house or they are close replicas.
I think the old building is still vacant. The family that owned Seismic Exchange purchased the building before Katrina and was gutting it to make into a new HQ office. After Katrina, they relocated to Houston and I think the building was never touched.
Some of those old ceiling fans with the pulleys and belts are either in Dickie Brennan's Bourbon house or they are close replicas.
I think the old building is still vacant. The family that owned Seismic Exchange purchased the building before Katrina and was gutting it to make into a new HQ office. After Katrina, they relocated to Houston and I think the building was never touched.
Posted on 10/3/20 at 9:01 am to L.A.
These days all sorts of people in that pic would get run over by that float.
Posted on 10/3/20 at 11:00 am to GreenRockTiger
quote:
I love that pic!!! I
Thanks. The info I found with the pics says: 1930: the float of Rex, King of Carnival in the the 100 block of St Charles, just before Canal St.
Posted on 10/3/20 at 11:43 am to L.A.
I never ate at Kolbs but grew up with many stories of the place—the belt driven ceiling fans, and especially stories of the “German” accordionist who was really a French speaking Cajun guy from Raceland.
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